


Heartbeat

by SmokeMonsterSyd



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, On the Run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 22:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13420599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokeMonsterSyd/pseuds/SmokeMonsterSyd
Summary: Post The End, Mulder and Scully on the run. Just a small little ficlet inspired by the song Heartbeat by Carrie Underwood."Tonight I wanna drive so far we'll only find static on the radio.We can't see those city lights and I love the way you look in a fire-fly glow.Saying everything without making a sound, rivers rolling in the background underneath the harvest moon.Standing on your shoes in my bare feet, dancing to the rhythm of your heartbeat."





	Heartbeat

In her sleep, she dreams of normalcy. She dreams of their basement, holding hands under the dinner table, sipping wine and cuddling on his old, beat up couch. If she were alone and not with him, her dreams would be different, but dreams like these reassure her that he is there and keeps her grounded to reality. Knowing he is by her side sets her mind at ease.

 

Tonight she dreams about a party, lights flashing, people laughing, a soft cotton dress hugging her curves. He’s dressed in a tux that matches her simple black dress and they dance to the music, arms wrapped around each other, her head on his shoulder.

 

“Scully,” he says. His voice is soft, but she feels she could pick it out of any rowdy crowd.

 

“What?”

 

“Ah lahve yah, babyyy,” he says, imitating some actor she doesn’t know.

 

She laughs and lightly hits his arm before laying her head back on his shoulder.

 

“I love you, too, Mulder,” she murmurs.

 

There is a loud noise that is quickly replaced by static, and Scully lifts her head up, looking around the room.

 

“Ah fuck,” Mulder mutters.

 

And she’s awake, her eyes slowly opening, only to be met again with darkness. The truck is still moving fast, bumping along down the abandoned highway, the moon hanging orange on the horizon. She shifts to sit up, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand as they adjust to the soft glow of the radio.

 

She feels his fingers intertwined with hers before she can even see his hand reaching for her. In times like these, she is happy to have him all to herself.

 

“I’m sorry, Scully,” he says, pouting, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

She shifts her body to face him as best she can in her seat belt. She brings his hand to her lips, pressing down gently before moving his hand to her chest.

 

“It’s okay,” she says, sleep still in her voice.

 

“What did you dream about tonight, honey?” he asks.

 

This had become a typical thing for them. Ever since they went on the run, she would sleep, he would drive, and she would dream, repeating them to him when she woke in the early morning hours. At first, it was a way for her to let out her emotions, but as her dreams changed, the conversation was a way for them to start the day together.

 

“Remember the party we went to before the premiere of the Lazarus Bowl?”

 

He chuckles, “How could I forget any of that night?”

 

“Well, we were there, and we were dancing, and you told me you loved me in that stupid voice you use sometimes,” she smiles.

 

“Ah have no ahdeah what yah mean,” he says, and she laughs.

 

“Shut up, Mulder,” she mumbles, with love.

 

He grins briefly in her direction, his eyes trained carefully on the road ahead.

 

“How are you feeling?” she asks, running a hand through his hair.

 

“Guilty that I’m glad you’re awake again,” he says.

 

She licks her lips as she stares at him. He seems tense and his eyes are starting to droop with exhaustion, almost like he’s forcing himself to be uncomfortable enough to stay awake.

 

“Radio isn’t working?” It’s really more of a statement than a question, she knows it isn’t. It hasn’t worked for days, not since they reached the desert.

 

“Nope, it’s just you and me, Scout,” he says, his smile not quite covering his apparent exhaustion. And he was right. They were completely alone, save each other, and usually Scully was completely okay with that. But now, on this dark highway, she wished that someone else could come and take over, drive them down this eerie road while she and Mulder cuddled in the back seat.

 

Her eyebrows knit together in concern, taking one of Mulder’s hands and squeezing it.

 

“Pull over, baby, your eyes are done for the night,” she says, soft but stern.

 

He nods his head in agreement and pulls the truck over to the side of the road, tires crunching against sand, and turns off the ignition.

 

He turns to her as he feels her body press against his and their lips find each other, kissing lazily through their tired fog.

 

“Do we still have that firewood in the back?” Scully asks, her gentle breaths caressing his lips.

 

“Yeah, why?” he replies, wrapping his arms around her waist.

 

“I have an idea,” she says, “You stay right here.”

 

He groans in protest and holds on tighter to her as she tries to pull away and says, “How about we both stay right here?”

 

She leans into his hold and murmurs, “I’ll be right back,” each word punctuated with a kiss to his face. He finally lets her go after another brush of the lips and leans his head against the back of his seat as she jumps out of the truck. He drifts in and out of consciousness as Scully moves around the bed of the truck and shuffles around in the sand.   
  


She looks to him occasionally, and he looks peaceful and beautiful in the glow of the full moon. She almost hates to wake him, thinking this is the most peaceful she has seen him since they first slept in each other’s arms. After setting up their nice little campsite, she opens his door and gently squeezes his shoulder.

 

“Mulder,” she says, her voice low.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Open your eyes and come with me, then you can go right back to sleep,” she says. She sounds like she’s trying to negotiate with him, but they both knew he was too tired to do anything but listen. She helps him out of the car, pulling one of his arms around her shoulders, and guides him to the sleeping bags she laid out by a small fire.

 

“You did all this for me, Scully? I’m so touched,” he says, tired but still overdramatic.

 

She ignores him, doctor mode activated, gently pulling him down onto the makeshift bed.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to reenact your dream? I can show you my moves,” he says, wiggling his body a little.

 

“Mulder, there is no music.”

 

“Ah, that doesn’t matter.”

 

She finally gets him onto the ground, cradling his head with her arm as they lay down side by side and his eyes close. Everything about him looks good in the glow of the fire and the moon. She traces her fingers across his face, his nose, and his mouth before gently running her nails along his scalp. He smiles, feeling her delicate fingers memorizing his face.

 

He wraps his arms around her waist and she gasps as he rolls them over, laying his head on her chest. He can hear her heart as it beats softly against her breast and he is amazed to find he can’t remember a time when he didn’t know her by the thrum of her heart.

 

Her hands find their way to his hair again, lazy circles are traced along her stomach by his calloused fingers. He turns his head to kiss her chest, looking up into her soft blue eyes. The flames of the fire flicker back at him, her gaze full of love and warmth.

 

“I love you so much, Scully,” he murmurs.

 

She smiles and his heart melts.

 

“I love you, too,” she replies, “Now go to sleep, we only have an hour.”

 

He chuckles and presses his face into her shoulder. “Okay, boss.”

 

Tonight, he gets to sleep and he gets to dream while she watches over him. He dreams of normalcy, kissing her in their basement, holding hands as they walk down the street, making love to her in her bed.

 

But the dream he remembers, the one he’ll tell her when they wake, is about them dancing in the glow of the moonlight. Her heartbeat echoes across the desert as they sway to its rhythm. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!


End file.
